By Micah Maidenberg

President-elect Donald Trump nominated Jared Isaacman, a tech entrepreneur who has twice traveled to space on private SpaceX missions, to lead NASA during Trump's second term in office.

Trump cited Isaacman's passion for space and experience as an astronaut as among the reasons he chose him for the role. Isaacman currently serves as the billionaire chief executive of payments-technology company Shift4 Payments.

"Jared will drive NASA's mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for groundbreaking achievements in Space science, technology, and exploration," the president-elect said in a post on Truth Social.

Isaacman has helped pioneer the nascent business of private space flight, funding two missions that took him and others into orbit, both conducted by Elon Musk's SpaceX. In 2021, Isaacman joined a multiday voyage that marked the first time an all-civilian crew reached orbit on a private mission.

In a statement on X, Isaacman said NASA under his leadership will "usher in an era where humanity becomes a true spacefaring civilization."

His most recent trip to space occurred in September, when he led and helped to fund a four-person mission. That flight featured the first commercial spacewalk, during which Isaacman and another crew member briefly popped out of the SpaceX craft's hatch to test the company's new spacesuits.

Should he be confirmed for the role, Isaacman would take over an agency with about 18,000 employees around the U.S. and a budget of roughly $25 billion. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration conducts a sprawling array of work, ranging from carrying out planetary science research to managing the International Space Station.

Write to Micah Maidenberg at micah.maidenberg@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 04, 2024 12:04 ET (17:04 GMT)

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